Frank Barnhart

Frank Anthony Barnhart, long-time resident of North Richland Hills, Texas, passed away unexpectedly November 23, 2018 at the age of seventy-one. He leaves behind his wife of forty-five years, Gloria Wise Barnhart, and his two sons, Kenneth Monroe and Paul Anthony, as well as one grandson, Christopher. Born March 10, 1947, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Frank left home and joined the U.S. Navy, serving a tour of duty aboard the U.S.S. Tidewater. He often ended his stories about his time in the Navy with a grin and the observation that when he left the service, he still couldn’t swim. He never did learn, which meant a lot of time in the lazy river when he took his sons to the water park in later years. Frank worked for the Packaging Corporation of America for more than forty years. He often worked a second job in order to support his family. Somehow, between two jobs and little sleep, he still managed to find time for his sons. He served as the Scout Master for Troop 401 while Kenneth and Paul were in the Boy Scouts. He learned the rules of all the sports they decided to try, even soccer, just so he could put on his fancy striped tube socks and coach their teams. Frank’s younger son, Paul, still fondly recalls falling asleep with their cats in his dad’s lap while watching Johnny Carson. His father would then carefully carry him to his bed, often managing to wallop Paul’s head on the door frame along the way. At least the cats he shared lap space with generally escaped Frank’s love without injury. Frank never met a stranger and could make conversation with anyone about most anything. Often, he would find himself trading jokes with receptionists, cashiers, even the person in line behind him at the grocery store. Possibly because they had better jokes and stories, but most likely because he knew what it was like to have to walk or scrounge a ride to work, Frank often stopped to pick up hitchhikers (much to his wife’s dismay). Fortunately, he always managed to look just a tad crazy, so this habit never resulted in any harm. Frank loved baseball, cop television shows, and books. You could give him any book and the man would read it. He once found himself reading a vampire love story because his wife handed it to him. He gave it a glowing review, claiming “it wasn’t terrible.” He often coached his favorite baseball team, the Texas Rangers, from the stands as well as his recliner…they would have won the World Series if they had just listened. There is so much more to him than can be written. Frank Barnhart will be missed by all those who knew him.